Beauty and the Black
by lemonyyyy
Summary: What would Bella's world be like without vampires or werewolves? What if it was like Edward really had never existed?
1. Chapter 1

Preface

Time & Place: Wintertime, Bella's still a human

"Come on, Bella." Edward coaxed me. Trying to be polite, and not use his vampire strength, he lightly tugged on my arms, which were tightly crossed across my chest.

"Edward. I don't want to go to school."

He rolled his eyes, "Why, again, don't you?"

I sighed. "I want you to change me. Now. High school is tedious and boring and pointless."

"Bella, high school will be even more tedious when you're a vampire, you know. I have been to high school about twenty different times, and taken the same boring classes over and over." He was trying to win. But since he couldn't read my mind, I had a point he couldn't fight.

"And you found it all uninteresting and boring. Up until you met me. Now, you can live forever in happiness. That is, until I die. Because you refuse to change me."

He grimaced, obviously seeing I won this battle. This time.

At least I won. So I willingly let him tug me out of the car, and walk out of the cold and wetness, into the school.

The school day went on. I kept staring at Edward, distracted, while teachers continued to call on me knowing I wasn't paying attention. Thankfully, he would whisper the answers to me, and then chuckle under his breath.

We sat with Alice and Jasper at lunch; Rosalie and Emmett sat elsewhere, mainly because Rosalie didn't like me.

My afternoon classes continued the same way my morning classes did, except for gym. Edward paired up with me, as usual, and played badminton. Well, he played, while I cowered near the back of the court, cringing when the birdie came near me, but every time, Edward would hit it back successfully to the other side at the last second.

He had let it hit me once, to give me a chance, hoping maybe I would be coordinated at this sport. Well, considering I tripped and the racket gave me a bruise on my forehead, he did all the playing for me.

As we walked to his car to go to my house, he did a play-by-play for me of the game. I was watching of course, he knew, but he also knew I didn't understand anything that had happened.

"I thought you couldn't spike in badminton?" I asked as Edward drove, too fast, to my house.

"You can't," he said.

"Then why did Mike spike it near the end of the second game?"

Edward smiled my favorite smile. "He would have won, if he made that last point—I was letting him win. And he wanted to prove to you he was better than me at something. But one of the gym teachers caught that, and explained the rules to him."

"Oh." I smiled. Poor Mike. But what could you do when your boyfriend was a vampire with superior senses? Though Edward tried to hide them, in sports, he let them show a little too much, but not enough for anyone to suspect anything. They just thought he was athletic.

We were in front of my house when Edward turned to me and smiled.

"What?" I asked warily.

"Have you ever gone ice skating? I'll help you." He said the lat part before I could retort with my usual response.

I willingly agreed to go. It would make him happy. He said he had a pond in his vast backyard—and I mean vast—that we could use. So I quickly dashed inside, and found my ice skates in the back of my closet. I guessed he had seen them one night when he slept over.

Renée had had me enroll in ice skating two years ago in this mother-daughter program on one of her new fads. We had only gone to three classes, before she had moved on to something else, but she had still bought me skates.

So Edward drove to his house and flew into his house and was back in seconds with his fancy top-of-the-line skates. I climbed on his back and he ran so fast it was as if we were flying. I assumed he was excited.

Finally, when he slowed down, I could see the pond, surrounded by piles of snow, through the bare trees. A small glint of sun shone through the trees and made Edward's skin glow and sparkle brighter than the snow around us. He helped me tie the confusing laces, and quickly put on his own skates. I stood there, arms flailing, just trying to keep my balance, while he did a few fast laps around the ice. I thought he was fast running—skating even faster, he still looked graceful and fluid.

He slowed down and held me around my waist, while he pulled me along, at human speed. At first, I was scared and wanted to cover my eyes, but then, I smiled because he was holding me, and wouldn't let me fall. He spun us around in intricate circles, but then he stopped in the middle of the pond and he slowly removed his hands.

"I want you to try, Bella." He said before I could protest. Remembering my basic training from the previous years with Renée, I slowly pushed myself forward with one foot, and then the other. Soon, the familiar sliding came back. I fell a few times, but it was when I tried to go faster. So I stayed at my slow pace, while Edward pirouetted around me. He stopped in front of me, then skated backwards to face me, smiling. "See." He said smugly.

Smirking, I figured I would try to show off, to the best of my ability. I had learned one trick in that class with Renée. I don't know what it was called, but I remembered I was the only daughter in the class who could do it, surprisingly. Of course, the other daughters understood and could do the more complicated tricks, but I didn't care, because I could do that one move.

I skated as fast as I could in one direction, past Edward. I could see his face before I flew by, and he was in shock. And not like surprised-shock, but like scared-shock. That threw me off a little, but I was determined.

When my speed was fast enough I launched myself into the air and twisted my body so I could spin. The wind rushing around me was loud, but the sound was comforting, because it meant I was doing it right. My foot connected with the ice, but instead of sliding out of the move, it collapsed at impact, smashing my body, and head, painfully into the hard ice. I was sliding across much too fast and I remember seeing Edwards bronze hair. But that's it.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun shining through my window woke me up, and I groggily remembered it was my first day of school.

"Bells?" Charlie called up.

"I'm up," I called back, sleepily.

I rubbed my eyes and climbed out of bed. In walking across my room to my closet, I saw my reflection in the mirror. Ugh, I looked gross. I pushed and patted my hair down, trying to fix it, but it was still a knotty mess. I would just brush it later.

I opened my closet, and picked out clothes. My favorite comfy jeans and my favorite blue three-quarter sleeve shirt. My first day at my new school. Well, I hoped wearing my favorite clothes would make it at least a little more bearable.

I threw my notebooks and pens in my backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and went downstairs. Charlie was having his coffee and watching the news in the next room. I grabbed a bowl and made some cereal, trying to prolong going to school.

"Well, Bells. I hope you, um, have a good first day." Charlie said quietly as he dumped the rest of his coffee down the sink and put on his vest and gun for work. Charlie was never good with the sweet dad stuff, but I appreciated the gesture just the same.

"Thanks," I mumbled and I stirred my cereal around.

He just nodded and said a brief goodbye and that he'd see me after school and work, then left for work.

I don't want to go to school, I thought. And then I got a brief moment of déjà vu. I shook it off, figuring I just dreamed something like that the other night or something. I never remembered my dreams anyway. Well, except the good ones.

Part of my reasoning for not wanting to go to school was my childhood friend Jacob. I had just moved here with my dad last week, for a permanent stay. My mom had a new husband, and well, I just figured I'd leave them to themselves. But before this had happened, I usually came here every summer, till I was thirteen, to spend time with my dad. He had usually taken me on boring fishing trips with Mr. Clearwater, or to work with him, where I would sit at his desk and read while he did other stuff.

But a few times while we were at the lake fishing, Mr. Black came too. He was in a wheelchair, so he didn't come very often, but when he did he brought his son, Jacob. We had fun while our dads fished. Jacob and I would play in the woods, make mud pies, or tell stories to each other. He was my friend, because you know how it is when you're little, anyone who you play with is your friend. Mr. Clearwater had a daughter my age, but she was nothing like me, and didn't want to play with me. She said I was weird.

Last week, when I arrived Billy—Mr. Black had told me to call him Billy now—and Jacob came by to greet me. And Jacob and I had smiled at each other remembering our childhood. And instantly, we were friends again, but now that we were older, it was that more mature friendship.

Yesterday Jacob called to see to wish me luck on my first day. But I was confused because he would see me today, my first day, wouldn't he? I asked about it, and Jacob told me he didn't go to my school, he went to school on the reservation. Instantly I was saddened, and tried to make light conversation to hide my disappointment. When we had hung up, I cried a little. It just would have been nice to have a friend at school.

I guessed I couldn't put off going to school anymore. I locked the front door behind me, and went to start my car. On the same visit as when I first got here, Billy had given me his old truck, as he couldn't drive anymore, and Jacob got his permit. It was an old rusty red truck, it couldn't go fast, and when you started the engine, anyone in a ten-mile radius could hear it. I loved it.

I waited till the engine heated up, so I could turn the heat on, then made my way to school. There were only a few cars in the parking lot. But I needed time to find my way around the school anyway. My first class was in building four, so I slowly walked that way, as I memorized the map.

I went to sit down, and noticed there was already someone in there using the computer. My shoes were squeaky from the wetness outside, so he heard me and turned to see who it was. He was blonde and had big blue eyes. He then stood up and walked over to me; he was tall too.

"Hi, I'm Mike," he extended his hand, "You must be the new girl, Isabella."

I shook his hand and corrected him, "I prefer Bella."

"Bella." He said nodding his head. "So, uh, how do you like school so far?"

I chuckled under my breath, "School hasn't exactly started yet."

"Oh." He reddened a little, "Right. Uh, well, it's, uh, your first day, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, if you need anything, just let me know. I'd be happy to show you around, or help out, or if you need someone to talk to." He smiled and walked back to the computer. I think I heard him mumbling something about "embarrassing". Then the classroom started filling up. Some kids made their way over to say hi, and some just looked at me, confirmed I was a new student by asking someone else, then sat down in their regular seats.

That's basically how the rest of my day went. Most of the same kids were in each of my classes. This one girl I sat next to in three classes, I learned her name was Jessica, walked me to lunch and introduced me to her friends, which happened to include Mike. I sat with them, and they asked me millions of questions about where I moved from and my family. They really wanted to meet my mom, were perplexed that I moved from Arizona, and said my dad was a good policeman who really understood kids. And when I mentioned Jacob, said they knew a few kids from the reservation, and when it got warmer we would go to the beach there. I smiled at the thought of hanging out with both sets of friends.

After school, I did the homework my new teachers had assigned. It was all stuff I had already covered in my old school, so it took no time at all. My dad wasn't home yet, and I didn't know what to do. I tried to watch TV, but nothing really caught my interest. I kept thinking about my day.

Then, I sprung up, and figured out what I wanted to do. I would call Jacob. Maybe him and I could hang out for a bit, and maybe Charlie and I could have dinner there tonight.

I picked up the phone and dialed the Black's house number. On the third ring, someone picked up and said, "Hello?"

I immediately recognized it as Jacob's voice. "Hi Jacob! It's Bella."

"Bella! Hi. I was just working on my car—"

I cut him off. "Your car?"

He laughed a little. "I don't mean to sound smug or anything, but I'm building my own car, yeah."

"That's cool. When do I get to see?"

"Well, you could come over right now if you want."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say. See you in ten minutes."

He laughed again, "See you Bella."

I was excited to see Jacob. But before I bolted out of the house, I wrote a quick note to my dad. It said: "Dad, Went over to the Black's. You should come meet us. Maybe dinner there? Bells".

I slammed the door behind me, climbed into my car, and made my way to Jacob's.

As I ran up the path to his porch, small snowflakes began to fall, making his front yard crystalline. I knocked on his door, and he was there in seconds.

"Bella!" He smiled and pulled the door open wider to let me in.

"Hi Jake." As I looked at his tall figure I wondered how he got that way, because Billy was so short. Jacob had beautiful black hair that hung low and grazed his shoulders. His tan skin was taut over his lean muscles.

"Hey Bella!" Billy called from another room.

Jacob and I walked in that direction and found Billy watching TV. He wheeled toward us. "Hey, so what are you kids going to do?"

"I thought I would show her my car."

Billy looked in my direction. "His idea?"

I laughed, "No actually. Mine. I didn't know Jacob built cars." I threw a smile in his direction.

"Well, it's his first," Billy said.

"I only need one." Jacob said. "It's not like I'll open a car service."

"With the way, you can fix cars, you should." Billy said and rolled into the kitchen.

"Oh, Billy, I left my dad a note to come by after he got home from work."

"You guys want to stay for dinner?"

I smiled, "I was hoping you would ask."

Then Jacob tugged lightly on my arm and pulled me outside. The snow was falling heavier now. There was an awkward building in his backyard. It looked as though several sheds had been pushed together to create a garage. As we walked in I saw a mass of metal, which looked vaguely like car, with metal parts strewn everywhere.

"Sorry for the mess." And like Vana White, he held his hands out to show the car. "Ta da."

It was a Volkswagen Rabbit—I saw the name and symbol on the back end of the car. I walked around it, taking it all in. "It's great. You did all of this?"

"If you mean the mess, yeah. When I bought the Rabbit, it looked like a hunk of garbage, but it was cheap, and I figured I could tinker with it. Didn't know I'd get this far, or that I could even get it running." As if to prove it, he leaned inside and turned the keys that were already in the ignition. The engine roared, though nowhere near as loud as my car.

I smiled. "That's great."

He then tried to explain about this problem he had had with getting the engine to run, and I was with him, up until he started using car part names and words I didn't understand. I could tell he was really into it, so I let him go on, thinking I understood every word.

Then we heard a car pull up—I think his story was almost over—and he went to the big open door in the front of this shed/garage to see who it was. He turned back to me, smiled, and went outside. I followed and there I saw him avidly talking to two kids with the same russet skin tone. One was tall and lanky, the other short and muscular. They then turned and walked toward the garage.

When they were under the cover of the roof, Jacob introduced me. "Guys, this is Bella."

"He-ey, Bella." The tall one said, eyeing me up and down. Jacob smacked him in the back of the head and rolled his eyes.

"That was Embry," then Jacob gestured the short muscular one, "This is Quil."

"Hey, Bella." Quil waved.

"Is your dad cooking?" Embry asked.

"Yeah," Jacob said slowly, "why?"

Quil and Embry then high-fived. "Eating here tonight!" they said together.

"What's so exciting about eating here?" I asked.

"Jacob's dad is the best cook. Well, besides Emily. But her and Sam are on their honeymoon right now." Quil answered.

"So, what's he making tonight?" I looked at Jacob and a grin.

He rolled his eyes and said, "Lasagna."

Quil and Embry high-fived again, and then began talking with Jacob about his car. I still didn't get what they were saying, but just then I heard a car pull up again. I looked out and saw it was Charlie's cruiser.

I still had my coat on, but it was starting to get really cold, especially with all the new snow falling. I met Jacob's eyes and motioned I was going inside. He nodded but kept talking to his friends. I hurried across his lawn, trying not to slip, and made it inside. I heard Billy and Charlie laughing, as I went to take off my shoes and coat. I joined them in the kitchen, sitting down at the small table. The smell of cooking pasta sauce and oregano filled the kitchen. It was so warm and comforting.

"So, Bella, how was your first day?" Charlie asked, looking at his feet.

"It was, you know, school-ish. Books, teachers, homework. The whole deal." I nodded impatiently, so he wouldn't ask anything more about it. Because if Jacob came in, and heard Charlie asking, he would start asking, and I would get sad. Just stay off the topic, for safety.

And soon enough, I heard loud laughter outside the back door, then three teenage boys filing in. They joined us in the kitchen, and there were a million conversations going on at once. All too soon, it got very hot in there, and I went out to the living room.

I examined it, and I liked the feel of it. The couch was soft and just saggy enough to slide into. The TV was big, but not too big to take up the majority of the room. And the pictures, oh the photographs, they were beautiful. I got up off the comfy couch, that normally I wouldn't even want to leave, to stare at the beautiful pictures framed around the room. There was one that intoxicated me; I couldn't stop staring at it.

It was a little boy sitting at a grand piano, his eyes locked in fixation, staring at the keys, while one hand rested lightly on the piano. The room around him was spectacular. It was big with bright off-white colors. Though through the tall windows, you could see rain in a downpour. But the colors inside the room, in contrast with the boy's dark features made the room seem warm and happy.

"That's me you know."

The voice came from over my shoulder. I was so last in the picture, that I had jumped, startled. I turned and saw it was Jacob. "That's you?" I asked with a small smile.

"Yeah. My mom took it. She took all of these." He was looking intently at the same picture I was. "This was at my aunt's house. It was probably about a year after that, that my mom died." He then broke his gaze on the picture and looked down at the ground.

I didn't know what to say. Bit I figured a hug could fix anything, right? I navigated my arms, under his and locked them around his waist, pressing my body firmly against his. He was warm, and smelled good—an earthy smell. He hesitated, but slowly then wrapped his arms around me. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

I then stepped away, because I heard Quil call us for dinner. I looked at him, and smiled a little. He took his eyes off the ground and met mine. He smiled. I then turned and led the way to the kitchen.

The food was so good, I ate way more than I should have. But I couldn't get enough of Billy's lasagna. We were all lounging around in Billy's comfy living room, feeling too full to move. I saw Jacob look at the piano picture a lot, but his mood wasn't saddened by it.

Charlie looked at his watch and noticed the time. "Wow, Bells, we gotta go. You have school tomorrow, and I have work. He went to open the front door, so he could warm up his car, but he immediately came back. "Uh, bad news. The snow has blocked your door. There's no way were getting out of here tonight. School will probably be closed anyway."

Jacob turned to me and whispered "You're sleeping here tonight?" obviously excited.

I was excited cause that meant him and I could stay up and talk really late into the night. We wouldn't have school tomorrow, so what was the harm?

"Charlie, you can sleep in the guest bed. It's a single bed, so I guess Bella can sleep down here on the couch. And I'll have the other boys sleep on the floor in here too."

"Hey, why do we have to sleep on the floor?" Embry called.

"Cause Bella's a lady." Quil said mockingly. I grinned and stuck my tongue out.


	3. Chapter 3

So, Charlie and Billy went into the kitchen to discuss the snowstorm some more, and chat. The boys and I stayed in the living, whooping as quietly as possible once the parents were out of earshot.

Quil, Embry and Jacob all high-fived, then stared at me, grinning far too big for normal.

"What?" I asked warily.

"You've obviously never had a sleepover at the Black's." said Embry.

"Yeah, late night talks, prank calls, mindless TV, belching contests—the whole sha-bang." Quil elaborated.

"Wait. Will there be pillow fights, and nail painting too?" Then I got whacked with three pillows.

The pillow war had begun. I had a makeshift fort behind the couch, stealing a few pillows for ammo, while the three boys had their fort across the room. We ruthlessly whipped pillows at one another, hoping for the other to surrender. No one did. I tried to distract them by saying I had to go to the bathroom, then planned on sneak attacking them. But just as I slid past them, about to attack, they smothered me with pillows while piling on top of me.

We heard steps coming to the living room, so we quickly scrambled off each other and had our pillows ready. When Billy and Charlie appeared, pillows were launched. They both smiled, but then Billy said it was time for bed. So Jacob was helping his dad get out of his wheelchair, and Charlie was helping me find the extra sleeping bags, blankets. And pillows, most of which were strewn about the living room.

Quil and Embry complained about sleeping on the floor again, but I still got the couch. The reason being I'm a girl. It was a sexist reason, but hey, I wasn't about to complain.

Just as Quil, Embry, and I were making our beds, Jacob came downstairs from helping Charlie and Billy. He smiled, because now was when the real fun started.

But before we got to business, there was the matter of bed clothing. Quil, Embry, and I weren't planning on staying, so we obviously didn't have anything with us of ours. For the boys it was easy: give them some shorts or sweatpants and they were good. Though Embry said he'd just sleep in his underwear, Jacob insisted on actual clothing because I was here.

The problem though was when it came to me. I was much smaller than Jacob, and his clothes would fit awkwardly. But he refused to let me sleep in my jeans. In digging through his closet, he found a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt that didn't fit him anymore. He left his room, so I could quickly change. The clothes smelled good; it made me feel warm and safe.

When I entered the living room, all the boys were in their "pajamas", sitting around on the floor. Jacob was sitting on the floor near the couch, so I joined him, while Quil sat leaning against the TV unit and Embry in the middle of the floor.

"Well, guys…we've never had a girl on one of our famous sleepovers. What should we start with?" Jacob started.

I personally had never understood what boys did on sleepovers—they seemed so girly—but Jacob had decided to do the belching contest first. He said if I could put up with that, then I would survive the rest of the night.

So we quietly went into the kitchen and each drank a whole can of soda, taking turns to see who could burp the loudest and/or longest. Quil's was long, but nowhere near as loud as Jacob's. But Embry's, though not as loud as Jacobs or as long as Quil's, won because it was the loudest long one. Though, I didn't want to enter in the first place they had me try. It was short and more like a hiccup than a burp, so Embry won.

"Third-time champion!" Embry boasted, thumping a hand on his chest.

Then, by my suggestion, we played truth or dare. Which was weird, and different for me, cause usually girls only pick truth. But with boys, they're all about the dares.

I got to ask first cause it was my idea, so I asked Quil and he picked truth. I asked if he had ever like a teacher of his. At that Embry and Jacob laughed, because apparently, they already knew the answer.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Quil answered, "Her name was Miss Namlin."

"Tall, blonde, and superb curves." Embry said wincing at the beautiful memory of her.

"Quil always chased her around, trying to help—such a sad story. Sorry dude, but she was a teacher. It's just weird."

"Hey, at least she wasn't married!"

Then Quil asked Embry and he picked dare. He was dared to drink a disgusting concoction that Jacob had made. He didn't know what was in it, but I over-saw the blending of it. It had peanuts, vinegar, hot sauce, milk, strawberries, and onions in it, all mixed in the blender together; it smelled gross beyond belief.

He winced at it, but drank the whole shot glass Jacob had given him. I was amazed until, ten minutes later, he threw up.

Then Embry asked me truth or dare. I hesitated. They went all out on the dares, but would they soften it because I'm a girl? I hoped so. But if I picked truth, I didn't know what they would ask—completely unprepared. Cautiously, I picked dare, at least having an idea of what to expect.

Embry smiled at my bravery, and leaned back, deciding what to do. It looked as if several thoughts had crossed his mind, but finally he decided on one.

He quickly glanced around, then told me. "Kiss Jacob."

I felt my jaw drop, then pull back up to bite on my lip. I hesitantly looked at Jacob. He was looking at Embry, as if they were having a mental conversation, then he smiled a little and started down at me. He didn't say anything.

To me, that implied a lot. He probably wanted to say not to worry about it, because he wanted me to feel comfortable. But he didn't say that, and that only implied he wanted me to.

I didn't know what happened when you didn't do the dares here, and I didn't want to find out. Plus I figured, how much could this hurt? And I kissed him, on impulse.

He was so warm, and inviting. His hand quickly wrapped around my waist, trapping me there with him. His smell engulfed me and oddly, didn't make me feel trapped, but warmly wrapped and safe. When he deepened the kiss, someone coughed, obviously signaling to stop. Jacob glared quickly at the boys, but sighed and pulled back.

Embry and Quil glanced at each other briefly. "Okay. Night festivities are over." And went to climb in their beds. I was confused but followed suit. Jacob just chuckled under his breath and went to his room.

Everything was quiet, and just as I was about to fall asleep I heard a door open, then a whisper. "She asleep?"

Silence.

"Yeah."

"Okay, come in." And I heard scampering to Jacob's room.

Curiosity got the best of me. I quietly slipped off the couch, and tiptoed over to press my ear against the crack at the bottom of the door.

"I knew it," said Embry's voice.

"Sh, guys, keep your voice down. We don't want to wake her." Whispered Jacob.

I giggled. Apparently too loud, because I heard a shushing, followed by silence. Assuming it was just the wind, they went back to talking.

"Why didn't you tell us, Jake?" Quil whispered.

"I figured you guys would figure it out eventually."

"Yeah, before or after you kissed her?" Embry asked sarcastically.

"Look, I didn't even know until you said it. When you dared her…I realized how much…I wanted to."

"Well, she is fine, and—" Embry said. I heard a smack, followed by a mumbled "ow".

"Don't talk about her like that." Then there was silence, and he whispered, "She's beautiful."

"So, what are you gunna do?" Quil asked after a while.

"She might not feel the same way." Embry said quickly.

There was more silence.

"See what happens I guess." Jacob said. Followed again, by more silence. Then footsteps, signaling they were leaving. So I scrambled back to the couch, and had just slipped under the covers when the door opened and Quil and Embry exited.

I waited until I heard the slow pattern of breathing, ensuring that they were asleep. Then I quietly got out of my bed on the couch, and headed towards Jacob's room. I opened the door a crack, and saw him in his bed. I slipped into his room, shutting the door behind me quietly.

He looked so peaceful asleep, so serene and innocent. I tiptoed over to his bed and shook his arm a little and whispered, "Jake."

He moaned and opened his eyes. "Bella?"

"I couldn't sleep," I said quickly.

He rubbed his face then sat up. And stared at me, saying nothing.

"Can I sleep with you?" I whispered, looking at the ground, then meeting his eyes.

He was smirking a little. "Sure." He said, and pulled the bed covers aside. I slid in next to him, and instantly felt warmer. He draped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I didn't know of he was doing this cause he apparently liked me that way, or if he was trying to console me.

Just as I was beginning to fall asleep Jacob asked, "Bella?"

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"I…do you think," he hesitated a little, "Do you think I could kiss you again?"

"If I remember right, I kissed you."

Silence again.

He wanted a real answer; this wasn't a joke. I didn't know if I wanted to kiss him. I quickly imagined myself doing it, being wrapped by him, feeling the warm deep taste of his lips, his hand sliding down…

I could feel my cheeks heating up. "Yeah, I guess you could."

Suddenly, I was flipped onto my back, and he was hovering over me, careful not to press too much of his weight against me. He was smirking again. "Good," was all he said.

His lips brushed mine at first, taking slow tastes, and rubbing his hands up my arms, and in my hair. Then his hand started reaching at the hem of the shirt he gave me, and I distracted him by deepening the kiss, letting him flavor even more of me, and me more of him. I felt his heart hammering in his chest, and soon mine raced faster to match his.

I pulled away, my breath ragged, as was his. "I think…that was enough…for one night."

He panted a little, then said, "Yeah, I guess you're right." But he brushed his lips over mine, one last time, then slid behind me and wrapped his arm over my waist again.

"'Night, Bella."

"'Night." I mumbled, and drifted off to sleep, with his sweet taste still lingering on my lips.


	4. Chapter 4

That night was the first night my life turned into confusion.

Lying in Jacob's arms was easy, and peaceful. I wasn't sure where him and I stood at the moment, but I was content where we were. I liked him, yeah. And I liked being with him, and I could tell his feelings were mutual. We were both flirting with each other. But I was still a little unsure. I would just worry about it in the morning. Soon I had drifted off to sleep.

My eyes snapped open at the sound of my alarm clock. Just I reached over to shut it off, a pale hand beat me to it, quieting the noise.

I looked over, and there at the corner of my bed, was this beautiful man. He had bronze hair, with the face of an angel. In the dream, I had been relived and climbed out from my covers and went to sit in his lap. He kissed my head and said, "Good morning, Bella," with such fluency and articulation.

I smiled up and him in awe, wondering how this creature possibly belonged to me. "What are we doing today, Edward?"

He cast a quick glance out the window. "Well, I was hoping Alice would be wrong and it would be sunny. But you know, Alice is never wrong about the weather." He chuckled. "I guess we could go hang out at my house today."

I noticed it was snowing lightly outside when I looked. I quickly grabbed some clothes from my closet, and went to the bathroom to shower and such. Everything happened so fast, and it seemed like in seconds I was back in the room with him, fully showered and dressed.

I left a note for Charlie on the table, saying I was at Edward's house today. Then Edward and I left quietly out the front door. There was no silver Volvo outside, so that meant we would be running. I zipped up my jacket, so the wind would freeze me, and climbed clumsily on his back.

And we were flying. The snow was seemed to be firing at my face, striking me on every inch. And everything was rushing past me in a blur. It was hard to believe I used to fear this. Now I wished I would soon do it myself. We slowed as we reached the woods around his house.

"I thought you'd want a quiet walk in the snow, before we get home."

I smiled, as he took my gloved hand. Through the glove his hand chilled mine, but I didn't care. We walked and talked easily, and soon came across a frozen pond. He smiled at me, briefly, then stopped. He turned me to face him, and he looked like he was thinking. Then he smiled a little, and peeled off my gloves. Before I could protest, or ask what he was doing, he put a finger to my lips. He put my gloves on his hands, which was funny, cause my hands are considerably smaller than his.

He framed my face with his now gloved hands. "My hands would have made you even colder," he whispered. Then he lowered his mouth to mine, and sweetly kissed me. It was intoxicating, and I pressed myself closer to him, so I could take more. One of his hands was locked around my waist while the other was twining itself in my hair. As I tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled away, smiling and chuckling under his breath.

I pouted a little, and he kissed me lightly on the mouth once more, then took my hand, his still in my gloves, and pulled toward his house. Just as the big white house came into our view, the image snapped off, and I could feel myself being shaken.

"Bella." Jacob whispered shaking me so I would wake up.

I groaned. I wanted the dream to come back. It was so…wonderful. And I didn't even know that person. I wanted to hold onto him. I wanted to go back to sleep. But the whispering and shaking didn't stop. So, grudgingly, I opened my eyes and found Jake hovering above me.

"Mm, what, Jacob?" I mumbled.

He chuckled a little and said, "You need to get back to your bed before our parents get up."

Then reality came flooding back to me, reminding where I was.

"Oh, right." I sat up quickly, and climbed out of his bed, and rushed to the door to leave, but before I could leave, Jacob grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. He smiled, and pulled me in to kiss him. He was warm and inviting. But not as exhilarating as the dream-person, Edward.

I went back into the living room, and quietly stepped over Embry and Quil, who were sprawled about all over the floor. I slipped into the covers made on the couch, and thought.

It seemed, in the dream, as if I knew that Edward. But surely I had never meet or seen him in my real life. If I saw a living-god like that in real form, I was sure I'd remember. Everything that had happened in the dream seemed so real. And…familiar. But I'd had never been any of the place we were in my dream, except my house, in the beginning.

And the flying? Wait, no. We weren't flying; we were…running. Well, he was running, I was on his back. But…no human could run that fast. Who was Edward? What was he?

I tried remembering every detail and analyzing it, from the beginning. And none of it made sense: the Alice reference (who she even was), the flying-running. And I remembered now, the ice-cold feel of his skin; he took my gloves off.

And so many things of that dream were too wonderful to be real, but they felt so. The way my heart swelled when I looked at him, the longing I had, and especially the way his kiss basically drugged me temporarily, the walk in the snow-covered forest, and his love for me. That last part, stunned me most of all. He was so beautiful, and I was so plain. How could he love me like that? I would have just passed it off as "it was a dream", but it felt so real and familiar.

I loved this man I didn't know, because of the feelings I had felt in my dream. But he wasn't real, so I deemed it an infatuation.

But I still wanted to dream of Edward again. And soon.


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't want to sleep. Well, I did, just to dream of Edward. But as much as I had tried, since I was little, I had never been able to dream the same thing twice. Maybe the same setting, but always different people and stories. So I gave up on dreaming of this Edward again, and settled for just thinking about him, trying to memorize his face, and repeat his fluid voice. Soon enough, the sun was fully shining through the windows and I could hear movement from upstairs, signaling the parents awakening. So I turned and pretended to be asleep, and within a few minutes I was shaken gently by Charlie.

"Wake up, Bells," whispered Charlie. I did my best to act as though I had been asleep. I rubbed my eyes and mumbled a good morning. Charlie had gone over to Quil and Embry to wake them up too. I looked into the kitchen and saw Billy wheeling around making breakfast. The smell of bacon wafted into the living room, and Quil and Embry bolted upright and ran into the kitchen.

Charlie chuckled. "I'm going to go help Billy with breakfast. Looks like we'll need more food as fast as we can with these boys on our hands. Think you could go wake Jake?"

"Sure." I bit my lip as soon as his back was turned heading toward the kitchen. Warily, I opened Jacob's door a crack to find him on back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, still in his pajamas. When the door opened, he looked to see who it was, saw it was me, and instantly smiled. I slowly entered, closing the door softly behind me.

Jacob sniffed the air and grinned. "Dad's making breakfast. Usually, when it's just him and me, I have to make myself food."

I couldn't help but grin back. "Good morning."

"And good morning to you." He said, then he sat up, grabbed around my waist, and pulled me towards him. He sat me on his lap, and kissed me softly. "Good morning," he whispered.

I did feel a thrill run through me. And his arms were so warm around me, and strong, as if he would keep me there forever if he could. I dared to kiss him back. But when, I pulled away, I remembered my dream last night and began to worry. Obviously Jake could tell, because his fingers traced the furrow between my eyebrows.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I hesitated, but he asked another question. "Are you worried about last night? Look, its not like we have to sleep together all the time now. Or that even of we do we have to have sex or anything. I mean I'm content with you just sleeping next to me. But if you don't want to, that's cool—why are you smiling?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed a little. "Don't worry. I liked sleeping next to you. But, er, Charlie, Billy—might not work out. Um, but the sex thing—,"

"Forget I even said anything. I was just nervous you would say…" he trailed off.

"Say what?"

He hesitated, and kept looking at the ground. "I thought you would say that you didn't like me, or it was just a one-time thing, or you were drunk—,"

"Was I—did you sneak alcohol into my fruit punch last night at dinner? Goddam you, Jacob Black." But I couldn't keep a straight face, and had to start laughing.

"Hey, what's all the laughing—" Embry walked in, saw me in Jake's lap, and simply stopped talking. And just kept staring. His mouth was moving, but no words were coming out. Then, he began pointing from Jacob to me.

I smiled, and put a finger to my lips. "Shh."

The light bulb must have gone on or something, because he understood. "Phew. Not a game? And for real?"

"No and yes." Jacob said with a smile.

"Then, I'll just leave you two…" And he exited, shutting the door behind him. No doubt running to tell Quil.

"Um, Jake?"

"Yeah, Bella?"

"Are we 'for real'?"

"What do you mean?" He was now staring at me, with the same furrowed brow I had before.

"Well. We kind of just got to know each other, and yeah, I really like you, but—but does it have to be for real, right now?" I didn't want to hurt him. "We can be for real with Quil and Embry. But, can we not be with our parents, just yet?"

His face smoothened out and he was thinking. "Yeah…that's fine."

"Look, I like you, Jake. But Charlie is not ready for me to have a boyfriend. Even if it is you. He's rather me stay single till I'm thirty-five. So let's just ease him into the idea."

"How?"

"Well, you come over more often, just as a friend, and soon enough my dad will ask why I'm hanging around with you so much. So then, I allude to the fact that I like you, he'll approve of the idea, then the next day I'll tell him you and I are dating. He'll freak out a bit, but I'll remind him it's you, and he likes you, and all should be good."

"That's an awfully complicated process."

I scoffed. "For Charlie, it'll take…a week. Maybe two."

"Okay." He smiled and kissed me. "I kind of like the whole secretive thing. It's exciting."

I chuckled. "Good. Now, time for breakfast. I'll leave, and you come out after like a minute."

He nodded, understanding the plan. I left his room. "Hey Billy. Is Jake always that difficult to wake up in the morning?" I called as I walked in the kitchen, full of the mouth-watering smells of bacon, sausage, and omelets.

Billy chuckled as he added pepper to the omelet in the pan. "Unfortunately. You should see him on school days. He's lucky he has a snow day today. Ah, here he comes now."

Jake had rubbed his eyes raw, to make it look like he just woke up, and he had ruffled up his hair to stick out at weird angles. He put on a much better act than I had earlier with Charlie.

"Alright, guys. Here you go. Bella, take extra, incase you want seconds. These boys will be on their fourths just as you finish your first."

After breakfast, I took a shower (Jacob had given me more of his clothes to wear, till I could go home and get my own). I like to think in my showers.

So, I was in a sticky situation. I had Jake, who was now technically my boyfriend. Kind of against my will. I mean, yes, I liked Jake, a lot. But I didn't know sleeping in his bed would mean or imply anything. But I just couldn't shake the dream about that Edward. I felt like I knew him, even though I had never met him in real life before, and my dream was brief. I longed for this Edward, just as much as I longed for Jacob…maybe more. But the fact was, Edward wasn't real. So I was in love—no, infatuated—with this imaginary person that I had miraculously made up.

I had no choice but to be with Jake. I did like him. Quite a bit. But I couldn't help but think about Edward too. So I would be with Jake. And Edward would just have to stay a memory. And a faded, not-thought-of-too-much memory at that. Jacob was a real person. A sweet, loving, funny person. I would not throw him away for some made-up dream man.

So that was that—settled.

As I walked downstairs after my shower, I found only Billy watching TV, and I could hear voices from outside. As I was on the last step I asked, "Where are the guys?"

"Outside shoveling." He sounded distracted.

"Oh. Well, do they want help?" I asked, gesturing outside.

"No, they're good. Bella, could you come here please?"

Uh oh. He sounded like Charlie, when he wanted to talk to me about a serious matter. Granted, Charlie was slightly awkward with anything serious with me.

I went into the living room, where Billy was watching TV. He muted the TV and wheeled around to face me.

"Bella." He paused, obviously thinking of how to start. "Jake told me. Now before you start groaning, I won't tell Charlie, won't say a word about anything, till you tell him. But look, I'm—I'm going to tell you something. And it's going to sound silly, but hear me out. Jake has grown up with sisters, so he's learned to be real compassionate with girls. Now, he is a man, in he'll hide his emotions, especially from women, but he takes a lot of things to heart."

"I don't want to hurt Jacob, Billy. I like your son, a lot."

He nodded curtly. "Good." And the end was kind of awkward, like Charlie. And Billy turned back towards the TV, and turned the volume back on. It was interesting, to hear about Jacob, from his dad's point of view. I figured, Billy still saw Jacob as his little boy; Jacob was a lot stronger than Billy gave him credit for. I didn't think Jacob was a sissy or anything; I thought it was sweet how his dad cared for him, how Jacob grew up. It was cute.

Just then, Quil came in, covered in snow, shouting, "We're free!"

"Come on, before the warden catches us!" Embry called as he came in.

Charlie came in behind them and brushed all the snow off him. "We shoveled our way out, Bells. We can go home now. The roads look okay."

Then Jacob came in, and just smiled at me. I smiled back, but I had smiled too soon. Because next thing I knew, I had been hit in the face with a snowball from Jake.

"Hey! No snowballs in the house!" Billy called. But Quil and Embry had already started one by the front door. "Boys, take it outside!" And Embry chased Quil through the kitchen, out the back door to the back yard to have their snowball fight; Jacob followed after them.

I watched them roll around and launch snowballs at each other from the back door, keeping the door firmly shut, but the cold was still emitting from the glass. I didn't really care. I liked watching Jake with his friends. It was funny. It was Quil and Embry against Jacob, but Jacob was winning somehow.

"Bella, come on, we're going to head home." Charlie called. I hadn't brought anything with me, from the day before because I had only planned a day visit. I told Jake I would wash and give him his clothes back, but he told me to keep them. So I pulled my jacket on and told Charlie I'd meet him at the car, I was just saying bye to the guys.

I opened the door, and the snow battle ceased. "I gotta go, guys!"

"Bye, Bella!" Quil and Embry called, then continued their snow fight. But Jacob got up, and jogged over to me.

He pulled me into a rough kiss that was so warm I forgot it was winter. I didn't want to leave his embrace, but then a snowball hit the back of his head. He grinned, gave me another quick kiss, then said "Bye Bells!" And in one swift move, he rolled to the ground, picked up and rolled a snowball, and aimed it directly at Embry and hit. He laughed as he re-joined the battle. I just smiled as I walked to the car.

When Charlie and I got home, he went straight to the TV and turned on some basketball game. I went upstairs to my room. It looked the same as I had left it. But it weird, what I had thought that way I left it, and what I thought now upon my return.

Edward still nagged in my head, but I ignored him to the best of my abilities. But soon, I felt like my head would explode.

Shaking my head, as if to clear Edward, I turned on my stereo and filled my room with music. I still had homework I was planning on finishing last minute, and I did need to do laundry. So I occupied myself, while listening to my music, trying my best to ignore the Edward thoughts, and think about Jacob.


	6. Chapter 6

Unfortunately, the school was reopened for the next day. And fortunate or unfortunate, take your pick, I didn't dream about Edward that night. I tossed and turned too much to dream.

I was eating my Cheerios when Charlie came down to have a quick breakfast before he left for work.

"Mornin', Bells." He mumbled, still a little tired.

"Mornin', Dad." I said around a spoonful of Cheerios.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a few sips before he spoke to me again. "So, anything planned for today?" He sounded a little suspicious.

So I tried to play it cool. "Um, school?"

"After school."

"Well…I was planning on maybe going over to Jake's—,"

"Great!" he sounded excited, but then tried to downplay it, "Um, want me to ask Billy if we can have dinner there again?"

I was confused. Did Charlie know? "Um, Dad, we were there all day yesterday, and the night before. I—I just don't want to crowd them."

"Oh. But I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"I'm sure they wouldn't but, um, I actually have this English paper to write, that is due tomorrow that I need to edit and stuff. So, just not tonight." I fabricated the paper. My plan wasn't going well, because it seemed like my dad already knew. Or if he didn't, like he was pushing me into his own plan for Jacob and me.

He hesitated, studying me. "Alright, well, I'll see you when you get home then. Not too late then." He seemed to believe my story and was back to his usual Charlie self.

Before he could say anything else, I grabbed my backpack, went to my truck, and headed for school.

As I got to school, it hit me. Jacob didn't go to Forks High School. And a flood of things rushed to my head. I was now technically in a relationship. Would people believe me? Should I tell other people? If I did, would they talk to my dad and possibly mention it?

Then that nagging in the back of head came back: Edward. And I had another option in my head. Jacob didn't go here, and I was sure most people here didn't know Jacob. So…I could say I was dating someone else, someone who didn't go to our school. But I didn't have to tell them it was Jacob. Well, I mean eventually I would, because my friends here would meet him somehow. But for today, I could say I was dating Edward. I could "date" him, till the time came for my friends to meet Jacob. That way, I could talk about Edward and think about Edward all I wanted. Edward would be my school boyfriend, and Jacob would be my real-life boyfriend. This way, I could have both.

Why not? It's not like I was cheating on Jacob; Edward wasn't even real. I just wanted—I didn't want to push Edward out of my head.

"Good, Bella."

What? Who said that? I was in my car, waiting for more kids to arrive to go in. I was completely alone in my car. I didn't even have a properly functioning radio.

And I could have sworn that the voice was a perfect duplicate of Edward's.

I had never spoken to him, except in my dreams. I cleared my throat, nervously. "Edward?"

No answer.

Did I just imagine the voice? Was I hallucinating? I shook my head rapidly. No. Why would I hear things? I was not on drugs, and no one was in the car with me. I must have just thought of his voice in my head. But this voice wasn't like what I thought it my head. It was like it was spoken out loud. I shook my head again. I must have just imagined it.

I looked around the parking lot and there were more people, so I figured I could make my way to homeroom.

Even though I was shaken by that mysterious voice, I was till making Edward my school-boyfriend.

Maybe that made me even crazier.

I sat down in homeroom, next to my friend Mike. He instantly turned to me and asked how my snow day was.

"Well, I was trapped at, er, my house. With my dad. So we were kind of bored all day. Um, how was yours?"

"Well, I shoveled my way out early, so I could have a snowball fight with my friends."

"Oh, yeah. My friend—I mean, my neighbors, they had this big snowball fight next door. So um, who won your fight?"

He grinned smugly. "My team."

"Good." I grinned back.

Then the bell rang, signaling first period. I rushed out of homeroom.

I was sitting in Spanish, thinking about my conversation with Mike. It was so awkward, because I couldn't mention Jacob, if I was having Edward as my boyfriend. I would have to make up some stories about Edward soon. I would have to dream about him more. Which was fine with me.

I tried to ignore Mike and my other friends as best as I could, because I couldn't tell them I now had a boyfriend, if I had spent yesterday locked in my house. I would just tell them tomorrow. So I had to spend lunch in the library. And the rest of my classes, I tried to pay attention as much as possible, as to avoid conversation.

Soon enough, the bell for the end of the day rang and I practically sprinted to my truck. It was hard dating Edward when I was really dating Jacob, especially when Edward wasn't real, and I barely knew him.

I rushed home, and once inside, immediately dropped my backpack, forgetting my homework, to call Jacob.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake." I said with a smile.

"Bella! How was school?"

"Good. School-ish. You know."

"Yeah, same for me."

"You don't say?"

"Ha ha, yeah, surprising, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Hey, um, I was wondering if I could come over, and hang out? You know, according to plan."

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh, did you tell your dad?"

Jacob hesitated briefly. "He guessed! He cornered me and asked why I was smiling. I just said I was happy, and he asked 'Finally dating Bella?' And I mean I couldn't lie to him, when he guessed right."

I sighed. "I guess it's fine. I mean, he said he wouldn't tell Charlie—"

"Wait, you spoke to my dad?"

"Um, yeah. Why?"

Jacob sighed from the other end. "Just come over, please."

"Um, okay. Be there in like ten minutes."

"Yeah, bye." And he hung up.

What was up with him?

As I pulled into Jacob's driveway, I noticed only his car (the Rabbit) was there. Where was his dad?

I knocked on the front door, and Jacob answered promptly.

"Hey, where's your—"

"Errands. He should be back in a half hour." Jacob said quickly, sounded distracted. He had his face in his hands.

"So, what's up? Why do you sound frustrated?"

Lifting his head up he said, "You spoke to my dad."

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Well, if he gave you the talk, yeah."

I furrowed my brows and asked, "Now, what talk would that be?"

He sighed. "The one where he tells you I'm this fragile, sissy boy that you need to be careful—,"

"Well, he didn't use those words."

He rolled his eyes. "Great. He gave you that talk. Fantastic."

"But Jake—,"

"Just wait, Bella." He exhaled sharply once, "My dad told you that, because…well, there was this girl who hurt me bad. And my dad likes to think that my girls made me gentle like that to care. Because he sees it as no teenage boy should love. And I did love her—but that's why I was so upset, and my dad just didn't get it. And he's scared, because he knows I love you and—"

"Whoa. What?" I asked incredulously.

"I loved that other girl—but she's not important—and now I love you—and that's why my dad wanted to talk—"

"Stop right there. Back up to the part about loving me. Um, what?" I could feel myself blinking intensely in disbelief.

He wavered for a second, then something clicked because all he said was "Oh."

"Yeah. Look Jake, I think you're strong. I don't think your dad gives you enough credit. You're one of the toughest guys I know. But I can see why your dad is worried. You already love me. Which is, um, fine, I guess. But I just don't want you to get hurt. And I really don't want to hurt you. The fact is Jake, I don't love you. Not like that yet. Just give me time"

He smiled. "That's fine." He picked me up and began to spin me around. "That's absolutely fine." He put me down and was crushing me in a hug.

"Um, Jake. Can't breathe." He loosened his arms "Ah, okay. So what was up with that other girl?"

He hesitated. "I told her I loved her and she ran away. Not literally, but you know. I—I haven't spoken to her since."

"I'm sorry Jake."

"So just don't run away on me."

"Wasn't planning on it." I mumbled against his chest. But then, of course, to ruin the perfect moment, Edward came back into my head.

But it was weird, because usually, I longed for Edward just as much, if not a little more, than I longed for Jacob. Maybe because Jacob was real, and tangible, and Edward was a dream.

But right now, I longed for Jacob much more. I wanted Edward to go away, so I could be happy here, in Jacob's arms, with him telling me he loved me.

And there we stayed, for a long time, until we heard a car pulling into the driveway.

"Dad's home." Jacob whispered, and he let go of he. Then he turned his back to me and it looked like he was rubbing his eyes, then he sniffled a little. He turned back around with a smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes like usual.

Jacob had been crying.

"Alright, turn on the TV and pretend to watch something, while I pretend to make a snack. Just so my dad doesn't get suspicious."

"But he knows."

"I know. Just so he doesn't think we were doing…other stuff."

"Oh." I got it.

Jacob went out to wheel his dad in, and probably tell him I was over.

"…and I was just making a snack for us. Want some? I was making popcorn." I heard Jacob's voice as he and his dad came in the front door. And sure enough I could smell the buttery smell, and hear the popping from the microwave in the kitchen.

"Hey Bella." He said with a wave. He had a bag of groceries on his lap.

"Hi Billy."

Then Jacob came in, with a bowl of popcorn. "He's putting the groceries away. Then he said he'd leave us alone. I don't know where he'll go exactly, but he promised privacy."

"That's nice of him. He doesn't have to do that."

He smirked. "Well, I want him to do that."

Then we turned and pretended to watch TV, randomly talking and telling stories, while Jacob would sneak a kiss in on my cheek while Billy's back was turned.

Billy then wheeled down the hall to go to the computer room, giving us privacy, for what I assumed was a while.

As soon as he was gone I turned to Jacob. I had to ask him. "Jake?"

"Yeah?"

I bit my lip. "Why were you…crying before?" I asked slowly.

He looked down, then up at me. "It was bittersweet. I'm scared to love you, because I know it's so soon, but at the same time, you're not scared, so it makes it feel okay. And I was so happy. Just to just have this beautiful, caring girl in my arms. I—I wanted to be nowhere else."

I smiled. "That's sweet, Jake."

"I swear, I'm not a sissy. I'm tough. Really. I build cars you know."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah I know." And I kissed him lightly on the lips.

From that, he grabbed me around the waist and tugged me so I was on his lap. He pulled my mouth to his, in a rough demand. I didn't mind one bit, so it wasn't much of having no consent, but surrendering. His hand traced my spine, making me shiver. He used that as a reason to grip me even tighter.

Then, we heard a door down the hall open, and bolted. I jumped out of his lap, and brushed my hair with my hand, while he fixed his shirt and his hair. We figured Billy could deal with Jacob's arm around me.

"Hey kids." He grinned as he wheeled to the kitchen to get a drink.

Jacob just looked at me and grinned. I grinned back. It was our little secret.

Jacob and I decided to chill out; we weren't animals; we had plenty of time. So I went home, so I could fix Charlie dinner.

As I walked in the door, Charlie asked, "How was Jacob's?"

"Good." I smiled at my secret. I had a boyfriend, and Charlie didn't know. It was kind of exciting.

"I'm going to make chicken parm. Is that okay?" I asked getting the ingredients out, hiding my smile in the fridge, and composing myself as I turned to face Charlie.

"Yeah, that's fine. So, how's Billy?" he asked as I began to make dinner.

Charlie usually didn't ask questions.

"The same as you saw him yesterday."

"Good. So what'd you do over there?"

"We just watched TV. You know, just hanging out."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. What do you want us to do?"

"Oh, I don't know. I was just asking." But it looked as though he wanted to suggest something. "Well, I'm going to go catch the end of the game."

"I'll call you when dinner's ready."

That was weird. Charlie didn't ask questions. I was starting to think he had a hunch.

After dinner, I went upstairs to "edit my paper", then go to bed. So I read a little bit, and started one of my old favorites, Pride and Prejudice. When I got tired, I went to bed.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, take your pick, tonight was an Edward night.


	7. Chapter 7

He was just smiling at me. That was all. And to the dream-me, I felt like the clouds should be opening up, light shining through and everything, to take this beautiful, sparkling creature away from me. But, luckily enough for me, he stayed right where he was.

"Bella, my love." He honey voice flowed smoothly. He moved towards me, taking me in his arms.

I just sighed. "Edward." And there I stayed in his arms, for a long time.

Then he broke the silence. "You'll have to come back, you know."

"Huh?" I asked. What on earth was Edward talking about?

"You don't belong there."

"Belong where?"

"You don't belong there…" his voice was getting softer, and his body seemed to be fading away.

"Wait, Edward!" I screamed, trying to grab hold of him.

But his body was no longer there, and I was in a sea of white. Nothing around me, above me, or below me—just white.

I woke up with a gasp. I looked outside, and it was still dark. I remembered the short dream with perfect clarity. What did Edward mean by I had to "come back"? Come back to the dream with him? Yes, that must be it, I thought. Because after he said that, he had faded away; he must have known he was going. So he must have just wanted another dream with me. So I quickly closed my eyes and fell asleep.

But this dream was different.

I was in the woods, walking to nowhere in particular it seemed. It was nighttime, and the clouds were thin, for I could see traces of the moon shining through and lighting my path.

I just kept walking, as if searching for something.

Then, I heard a howl, and I was running. Dodging trees, scratching my skin in the process. I didn't care; I just needed to follow that howl. It would lead me to what I was looking for.

I came to a clearing and saw a hill, and perched atop it, was a silhouette of a wolf crying. Except this wolf was much bigger than usual. But this was what I was looking for.

Consciously, I knew wolves were dangerous and would never approach one, but the dream-me ran to him happily. I climbed the hill, and he turned to me and stared straight at me with small black eyes.

I woke again, but more confused this time. I didn't even know what to make of that dream. So I ignored it and went back to sleep. Dreamlessly this time.

I woke in the morning, more tired it seemed than when I went to sleep the night before. The Edward dream confused me, because I didn't know where I was to "come back" to. And the wolf dream confused me even more. The wolf didn't seem…wolf-ish. He was…human to me in the dream, which made no logical sense.

I would have just ignored my dreams like any rational person, but I wanted to figure them out.

Too bad it was time for school. I got out of bed and got dressed, then headed downstairs. It seemed I had taken a little longer than usual, because there was no trace of Charlie; he must have already left for work. Crap, I must be really late, I thought. So I left the house without breakfast.

Now, I wasn't sure about this whole Edward-is-my-school-boyfriend. I kind of, really liked Jake a lot. And Edward was confusing me; I didn't forget about the voice yesterday. So, I decided to leave Edward alone, and just have Jacob be my boyfriend at school. And he was actually real.

As I slammed the door to my truck, I heard a hiss. I figured it must just be my engine, so I dismissed it and headed into school.

I sat down in homeroom, just missing being late. Mike instantly turned to me and asked, "What's up, Bella?"

"Hi, Mike. Um, well, I have exciting news. I, er, have a boyfriend."

"Have—you have—a boy—boyfriend? Really?" he gulped.

"Yeah," I said slowly, "His name is Jacob."

"C-cool," he was stuttering, "Do I know h-him?"

"No, he goes to school on the reservation, in La Push."

"Oh," was what Mike left our conversation at.

I had the feeling Mike wasn't too comfortable with me having a boyfriend.

By lunchtime, all my friends knew. My girl friends crowded me and bombarded me with questions.

"How tall is he?"

"How old is he?"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"How did you guys meet?"

Finally, my good friend Angela, who was on the quieter side, spoke up, "Guys, give Bella some breathing room." But once everyone backed away, she too joined in on the never-ending questions.

The bell was my savior.

Only Mike was in my afternoon classes, and that was only gym. So thankfully, he was too focused on playing to ask me anything about Jacob. Though, it seemed he was intent on not talking to me.

I was starting to think he had a problem with me.

So after gym, while we were waiting for the end-of-the-day bell to ring, I asked him.

"Hey, Mike? Do you, er, have a problem with me dating Jacob?"

He just sighed and kept staring ahead. Then he turned to me. "Bella…this is weird for me to—"

But the bell cut him off.

"Meet me at my car." He said.

He was already at his car when I got outside. When I reached him, I just stared, waiting for him to finish what he had begun saying after gym.

He took a big breath and continued. "This is weird telling you. Especially after what you told me today. And its completely inappropriate, and this Jacob of yours will probably come find me and kill me—,"

"Mike, spit it out."

"I like you, Bella, a lot."

I had half-expected this, but I didn't know what to say.

"Mike…well, you know I have a boyfriend now."

"Which is why I didn't want to tell you. Especially today." He was staring at the ground. The parking lot was almost empty.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

He hesitated. "Probably not."

I just sighed. How did he ever expect things to happen if he wasn't planning on telling me? "I'm sorry, Mike." I hugged him quickly, and turned to go to my car.

When I turned on my car, there was another hiss. I was going to have to get that looked at.

But as I pulled up to my house, and began walking up my steps, I heard a whisper, then the voice again.

"Bella."

I tried to respond quickly, before the voice, wherever it was coming from, faded. "Edward?"

"Yes?"

"It is you! Where are you?"

No answer. I probably looked like a freak, talking to nobody in the middle of my driveway.

I needed to talk to him, so I asked him the most important thing. "I didn't understand my dreams last night. What did you mean?"

"You belong with me."

"But—but you're not even real Edward!" I screamed. He was beginning to get annoying, because he was so confusing.

"Yes, I am," was all Edward said.

I was ecstatic, but I wanted proof. "Then show yourself."

No answer, and no proof from Edward.

I was beginning to think that I was hallucinating.

I began walking back up the steps when he spoke one last time. "The second dream was about Jacob." And I could tell he was gone, like the frequency of him went away.

But what he said made no sense. How could that second dream have been about Jacob? Jacob wasn't in my dream.

oxox

"You're not trying hard enough, Edward," said Alice, hovering over Edward's shoulder impatiently.

"What else can I do? I've been talking to her and telling her memories. And you know I've been interfering with her dreams as much as I can; she still isn't realizing what's going on." Edward said, clearly frustrated.

Edward and Alice were leaning over a wrought-iron bed with golden comforter in Edward's room. They had bought it to keep the body lying in the bed comfortable, and at the place that would probably jog her memories the most.

"Even Carlisle can't think of what else to do," Edward whispered, as if in defeat. "Alice, why can't you see anything?" he asked then in desperation.

"I don't know!" she cried, also in frustration. "I keep trying to see a way around her that will help, but I can't find one. I've tried Renée, Charlie, our whole family, even the Volturi. There's got to be more we can do."

Just then, Edward had an idea. "Jasper. Do you think he could help? Help her remember emotions?"

Alice giggled. "And what emotions would that be?" she asked, teasing.

Edward didn't smile "The ones she feels when she's around me."

"Well, she's around you now and isn't feeling a thing." A voice came from the threshold to Edward's room. Rosalie. "You took her ice skating—a sweet gesture really. Except the klutz slipped and landed herself in a coma."

"You're not helping, Rosalie." Alice said smoothly, from her trance in the corner.

"Hell, she might be. She was never nice to Bella in the first place. So maybe her usual narcissism would help Bella's memories." Edward said bitterly, still looking over Bella, checking her pulse.

"She's just a human. They fall into comas all the time. Just put her in the hospital and forget about her."

Edward glared at her, teeth bared. "Get out!" he snarled.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and left.

Edward turned back to Bella and whispered, "I could never forget about you."


	8. Chapter 8

I didn't understand anything anymore. Edward said he was real, but I couldn't see him—only in my dreams—but I could hear his voice. Most of these signs point to he's not real, or I'm crazy. And at this point, I was beginning to go with the second one.

He told me I didn't belong here—whatever "here" meant. And that I would have to come back—where "back" was.

Maybe…maybe he really was real, but didn't live here in Forks. Yeah, and he lived somewhere else like…Port Angeles or something. But then how was he communicating with me? And how did he even know me in the first place? He could be stalking me, but the voice didn't seem to be coming from anywhere, just around me.

Maybe Edward was a robot.

Yeah, and maybe it would be bright and sunny tomorrow.

Both clearly illogical and improbable.

And then what was the thing about Jacob? The second dream had to do with him? I thought of all the symbolism possible, and the only thing I could come up with was the wolf represented Jacob. And even if that was the case, what did one have to do with the other?

I looked up wolves (and what bigger wolves would be considered) and all I basically got was wolves have 42 teeth, and travel in packs. Nothing about larger wolves, even different species of wolves stayed generally the same size. So why was the wolf in my dream so abnormally large?

Nothing made sense anymore.

I was lying in my bed, trying to go to sleep, when Edward's voice had finally come back.

"Bella."

"Edward. What's going on?" I was desperate.

"Your dreams are reality. Your life now, is just a dream."

"How can you say that? How can that be true?"

And suddenly, I was flooded with emotions. The kind I felt when I was with Edward in a dream. The heart-swelling, pulse-rushing, and clear adoration kind of feeling: genuine love. My eyes were closed, but behind them, I had images rushing by, staying only long enough for me to look at them for a second. There was one of Edward smiling at me, his face as perfect as ever, then one of a room with a large bed in it, covered in a golden blanket. I had just realized there was a girl in it, as the picture zoomed to the next: A large group of people surrounded by Edward, all with the same pale skin, and stunning beauty. Then the pictures stopped.

I was even more confused than I was before, because all those pictures and feelings seemed familiar, like I had seen or felt them all the time.

And the girl in the bed…it looked a lot like…me. But it couldn't be…I wasn't in Edward's world. And those people surrounding him, I knew all of them. As I called the image back to my head I went from left to right, naming them: Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle. I knew that the Rosalie girl didn't like me much, and that Alice was a good friend of mine. I had met Edward, but never these other people. How did I know them?

Were they like…his family?

That must be it, I thought. But how did I know them? I had only seen Edward in my dreams. But apparently, my dreams were my reality. Yet here I was, lying in my bed, fully conscious, and no Edward.

Just then, I was overcome with a sea of painful emotions. Pain, searing, burning. I felt like I wanted to die. Then I felt emotional pain: like I had a hole in my chest, like I couldn't breathe or survive anymore. And then, more pictures flooded my vision: A girl…lying on the floor, blood draining from her, screaming. She looked like me. But then the next picture flew in: a trio of vampires (I knew their names too: James, Victoria, and Laurent) along with the emotion of wanting to jump on them and fight them. Then a picture of another trio whose names I also knew: Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They frightened me.

All these pictures were okay; they just scared me (not to mention confused me more at how I knew them) and made me feel some pain. But these next pictures and emotions brought up tore me apart. Me…lying on the floor in the woods, feeling lost, useless, hopeless. Then, an image of me lying in the very bed I knew I was lying in now, staring glassy-eyed and unfocused into space. I still felt hopeless, useless, and…lifeless. Like I couldn't go on. Then, the image of a big plaza in the bright sun. I felt a tiny tingle of hope, but deep inside I was scared and still hurt. Then, across the plaza I saw Edward, and both immense pain and great joy flooded my heart. But then, like a reverse in time, I was lying in a meadow, clutching my chest life it was a life preserver, and I could see Laurent, from the earlier memories there too, and I felt scared, and unprotected.

All these images and emotions stopped in a flash. They left me slick with cold sweat and panting. And in my heart, I felt pain. Immense, unlivable pain. There was a stitch in my chest, and I grasped my chest firmly, and instantly I felt a little relief of pain, though not much. I could feel my cheeks were wet with tears, and I knew I had felt this before. I had had to do this before, hold myself together.

Then I was flooded with one more set of feelings and pictures. I felt joy, but a desperate imitation of it. I felt like, I had found a sun, in a great storm I was lost in. I had something to help me, and keep me going, but who knew if I would make it out of the storm alive.

Then, as if to confuse me even more, pictures of Jacob came up. Him smirking, as if he knew he was so clever and had won. Him flanked by Quil and Embry, looking tough and unmovable, with another man behind them. Guess what? I knew his name too: Sam. Then, I saw Jacob kissing me, but not like he had in real life. He was doing it forced, but full of passion and desperation. Like he was trying to prove something. I saw him working on his Rabbit, hands covered in grease, with a motorcycle in the background. Then, I saw him smiling hugely, as if lighting up the whole room. My heart swelled, and I wanted to lean into to him, and feel his arms around me.

And the images and emotions finally went away. I knew Edward had been showing me, but I didn't know how he did. And I didn't know how I recognized half of what he showed me, because I had never experienced any of those memories, or met any of those people. But disregarding all that for five seconds, how did Edward know Jacob?

"Thanks Jasper. I think that helped a lot. She seems to be connecting more." Edward said.

"How can you tell?" Jasper asked.

"I just can. The coma seems to have lifted slightly. She must be putting things together."

"I still can't see her future, but it's cleared a slight bit." Alice called from the corner, still in a trance.

Edward had needed Jasper to bring up emotions Bella would recognize, using his special ability. And Edward had kind of put (there's no other way to put it) imagines into Jasper's head to filter in to Bella at the same time. It hadn't been easy, since Jasper only dealt with feelings and not pictures. But Alice had figured out that of Jasper knew the emotion behind the picture, he could use it too, which was why Edward used such strong pictures for they had strong feelings. But the only way to be able to get the images to Bella was to hold hands, while Jasper brought up the emotions in Bella.

"So what else are you going to do?" Jasper asked, breaking the silence.

"There's nothing more to do but talk to her more. She'll figure it out; she just needs more time. I know Bella, she'll realize what's going on, then break out of her coma." said Edward.

"And how is she even going to break out of her coma?" Alice asked warily from her corner.

"She'll find a way." Edward said, and turned back to watch Bella. He never left her side, except for those brief hours when he had to hunt. No point in drink from the person you're trying to get out of a coma. Alice flitted in and out, taking breaks from trying to see. Rosalie was no help at all, and Emmett's muscles couldn't do much, but Jasper had definitely helped. Carlisle helped monitor Bella's heart rate while Esme made sure to see Bella was comfortable, as to help her fight the coma faster.

Edward knew that soon, Bella would figure it out. She had to.


	9. Chapter 9

I woke up the next morning, still in a confused haze. It seemed as though Edward knew Jacob, and there was another story. But how could that be? I was physically here, living and breathing. Jacob was here too. And Edward was nowhere to be seen—only heard. It was obvious who I was more likely to believe.

I brushed it off. I was confused and trying to figure it out was only giving me a headache. I got dressed and headed downstairs to eat some breakfast, and on the way past Charlie's room I still heard snores. I poured my cereal in silence, and its chewing crunches filled the room. I was struggling not to think about Edward. But it was hard. Right now, I was at the point of incredulity. If I couldn't figure it out, and there was no physical proof, how could I ever figure it out? Jacob was real. And that's what mattered,

Although, I had to ignore the small part in me who longed for Edward. He wasn't real—or at least he'd had shown no proof of being—so there was no point in being infatuated with him.

I was just being rational.

And it was just an infatuation.

Now seemed like a good time to call Jacob.

I left a note for Charlie, letting him know I'd be at Jacob's for the day. Jacob had been so excited to hang out with me. And as soon I got there and out of my car, he grabbed me in a hug. "You know, my friends at school don't believe I have a girlfriend."

I laughed, "And why is that?"

"I couldn't tell you. I mean, look at these big biceps. Do these look like the muscles of a gay guy?"

I looked towards the sky as in thought, then rolled my eyes. "Well…"

"Stop it." He said with a smirk, and planted a kiss straight on my lips. Then he took my hand and pulled me inside.

And that's when I thought of the best, but scariest thing, to end my problems.

But, no way. I couldn't do that. Well, could I?

How would Jacob react? Would he get upset? I had a feeling he would.

But I had to ask.

"Bella? Did you hear me?"

I broke out of my trance. "What?"

"Are you hungry?" He had a puzzled look on his face.

"Uh, yeah sure." I blinked several times, to get myself out of Bella-world, where I was obsessed with my own problems.

I looked toward the kitchen where he has already started our snack.

I just had to ask it. No thinking about it. Just do it.

"Hey Jake?" Stop it!, my brain was screaming.

"Yeah?"

I took a deep breath. "Do you know anyone named Edward?"

Jacob looked at me puzzled. "No…why?"

I hesitated. I had to. I had no answer to that. "Uh, just this kid I know. He said he knows you. I was just wondering."

He lifted his eyebrow, then just shrugged his shoulders. "Weird."

Internally, I let out a big sigh. Good, he didn't suspect anything.

But that didn't explain how Edward knew him, but he didn't know Edward.

We finished eating out snack then picked out a movie and snuggled on the couch. I didn't pay attention to the movie much. It had something to do with robots. I was still trying to figure out in my head what Edward was. Or where he was. Or how he knew me. Or Jacob. I couldn't figure it out rationally in my head.

Bella, said Edward's voice, in my own head of course, you're in another world.

...

Okaayyyy? Was that possible? Is that what it came down to accepting? That I was in another world? Even if I thought that to be true, what was I going to do about it?

"Bella." Jacob was just staring at me, looking a little confused. "What's wrong?"

I blinked a couple of times, bringing myself out of my own thoughts. "Nothing," I replied quickly.

"You were quiet throughout the whole movie. And you're quiet now. What's wrong?"

"I just…can't…quite figure things out."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What's there to figure out?"

Uhhhh. I needed help. This needed to be figured out. I wanted help. But I didn't want to worry Jacob. I loved him too much.

Wait.

Okay. Well, now I had something to tell him. To stall him. At least, it was something true. But the truth surprised me.

I smiled a little bit and tried to hide it. "Well…I love you, Jake."

His eyes widened in surprise, and then he smiled so huge I thought his mouth would fall off his face. "Really? Oh great! Thank you! That's fantastic—I love you too!" And then he kissed me hard. He was so excited.

I giggled a little in his enthusiasm.

He grabbed my hand and started leading me down the hall, towards his bedroom.

My smile dropped. "Wait, where are we going?"

He turned and sheepishly grinned at me. "I want to show you something."


	10. Chapter 10

"W-what are you showing me?" I stuttered. I wasn't scared. I was just nervous. Cause if you were thinking what I was thinking was about to happen, you'd be nervous too.

We reached the doorway to his bedroom. "Bella, I love you. Very much. I…I…" he was blushing. I could tell where this was heading. He let out a sigh. "Bella, I want you to be my first. My only."

My heart started pounding. Could I really do this? I could feel the heat rushing through my body, flushing my cheeks. I tried to think around the pounding in my ears. I wanted to. I really wanted to in fact. I looked at him and nodded my head. I couldn't talk. My heart was blocking my throat.

He pulled me in and closed the door behind me. He quickly grabbed me around my waist and engulfed me with kisses. Long, pouring kisses that made my heart pound even harder. I thought I was either going to explode or faint. I tried very hard to grab a gulp of air.

Before I knew it, he slowed down, and paused to look at me. His face was so rosy, and his body was so warm. Then, he grabbed the hem of my shirt, checking to see if it was okay. I nodded, and he gradually lifted my shirt up my torso and over my head. Then he reached around to my back, and un-did the hook of my bra in one try. He tossed both the shirt and bra to the floor. Then he kissed me on the mouth and made a path of kisses between my breasts, down my stomach, to the top of my jeans. There he unbuttoned them, and pulled them, and the underwear with them, off. He got up, stepped back, and just looked at me. Gazing over every inch of my body, soaking it all in. His hand reached out to take my hand. It was shaking. He took a big gulp. I took his hand and wrapped myself around him, hearing his thundering heart beat, just like my own.

Then, I started unbuttoning his shirt, savoring the feel of my hands over his smooth skin. I pushed the shirt off of him. He undid his jeans himself, then took off his own underwear.

He just stared at each other in wonder. He was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. Just as I was thinking about how much I wanted him, he reached for me still shaking, and we fell onto his bed intertwined.

xxxx

I woke up, forgetting where I was for a moment. Then, realizing I feel asleep. With Jacob. After we…

I felt…weak. But powerful at the same time.

I turned to look at him, and just as I looked, he too started slowly opening his eyes. He grinned at me, then wrapped his arms around me, and we fell back asleep smiling.

We woke again, a few hours later. Realizing it was 5 o'clock in the morning.

"Crap! Your dad!" I whispered, as I jolted up and began picking up my clothes.

He shook his head as he grinned. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving! Your dad probably already realized I was here late. I don't want him thinking I stayed the night and we—"

"But we did."

"That's not the point. I don't want him thinking I'm some kind of prostitute—"

"Bella! Have you looked outside?" He got out of bed and pulled aside the drapes.

Snow covered half of his window. I could barely see outside.

I gasped.

"My dad called a while ago, said he was stuck at work, and everyone there had to stay the night. I told him you were over. He knew the roads were just as bad here, so he suggested you stay. Don't worry," he explained as his kissed my head. "I bet you're hungry." He walked out of his room and I followed him into the kitchen. I was extremely hungry. I've heard sex can do that to you.

He pulled out six eggs from the fridge, lit the stove and started making eggs.

"I hope those six are all for me," I teased. He looked over his shoulder, rolled his eyes, grinned, then went back to cooking. "No, but seriously."

After breakfast, we went back to the bedroom, and reenacted what happened the night before, but a lot faster and with a little more precision. We fell asleep again, then woke up and ate even more food.

"So, I was thinking we'd venture out into the snow today," Jacob suggested.

I scrunched my nose. "But it's cold."

"I could think of something we could do outside that would warm us up real fast…"

I rolled my eyes.

He smirked. "Well, I thought I would take you to the little lake in the woods behind my house. It's definitely frozen over, and I thought we could go ice skating."

I gazed around as I thought. "Sounds fine and romantic to me on our day snowed-in." I leaned across the table and kissed him. "Time to get dressed then."

Well, being as I slept over, unplanned, I had no new clothes. So I had to wear some of Jacob's, which was of course very fine with me. But the problem came to snow gear. It took us a good hour and a half to find Jacob's childhood snow clothes that I could fit into.

All packed up, we took each other's hand, and ventured out into the snow. It was very difficult climbing and trudging through. I got stuck a couple of times, and Jacob had to pull me out.

Finally, we reached the lake. And I had a strange sense of déjà vu.


	11. Chapter 11

I looked around warily, confused as to when I was at that lake before. Jacob kept pulling on my hand, taking me closer and closer to the lake's edge. When he reached it, he quickly let go of my hand and took off, wobbling and sliding all over the lake's smooth surface.

I looked up at the sky as he was swirling around. It was sunny, even though it was winter. The sun had melted the top layer of snow by now. But here in the forest, the light was just flickering through the dead tree branches. I couldn't place my memory of this lake.

I took a wary step onto the lake, and then another. I stood there, arms out, eyes squeezed shut, praying I wouldn't fall.

"Boo!"

I jumped, and wobbled just a little but didn't fall. I cracked my eyes open. "That wasn't funny, Jacob!"

"Come on!" he said, and he grabbed my hand. He was gliding across the ice, and he pulled me along with him, showing me it was safe. We skated together like that for a while. I felt safe around him. I always did. I never wanted this moment to end. I wanted to stay here at the lake with him. We could live here all year long. We could build a cabin to live in. Jacob could fish and hunt for food in the warm seasons. And in the winter, we could skate all day, just like this. Then wake up and do it again.

"Bella, I'm going to let go," Jacob whispered.

"No!" I cried.

He smiled. "You'll be fine." He slowly let go, as hard as I tried to keep hold on his hand, and skated away so I couldn't hold on again. "You can do it."

I slowly pushed myself with one foot, then slowly again, the other foot. I didn't fall. So I tried again. And again. I wasn't falling. Normally, at things like this, I would be a huge klutz and fall, embarrassing myself. Now, I was skating faster, gaining confidence. Soon, I was giggling with glee.

"Jacob!" I called, looking over my shoulder to find him and shoot him a grin.

Woah.

I felt my legs slip out beneath me, and my head slam hard on the ice.

Then, everything was black.

xxxx

"Edward!" Alice cried, running around the house. "Edward, Edward, EDWARD!"

Suddenly, he appeared, looking slightly annoyed. "What?"

"She's back!" Alice said with a smile and ran off to Edward's room.

It took him a moment to process what she said. Then realizing it, he sprinted off after her. When he reached his room, he saw her in his bed still. Lying there, deep breaths filling and leaving her lungs, eyes still closed. Alice must have saw Bella in the future.

As a vampire, both of them had acute senses. So each of them could tell her breaths were becoming shorter, closer to a humans normal breathing rate, and she was slowly waking. Alice looked at Edward in anxiety, then slowly watched her wake.

Her eyes flickered, then opened. She slowly sat up and looked around. When her eyes locked on Edward, she looked puzzled.

"What…is this…Jacob?...I…" She tried piecing together her words. She looked down, eyes flickering trying to process everything. When it clicked, she looked up with a small smile on her face.

"Yes. Edward." She pushed herself out of the covers and tried to go to Edward, but once her feet hit the floor, she almost collapsed to it from weakness. This time, Edward caught her.


End file.
